SEC Media Days are officially wrapped up, which means we can officially look forward to Week 1.
It’s action-packed and we have plenty to get excited about (see the trivia below).
But in the meantime, there’s still plenty we want to glean from the four-day media frenzy in Atlanta, right across the street from DawgNation’s world headquarters.
We’ll have plenty to discuss on “DawgNation Daily” today, and plenty more to sift through for the next couple weeks.
Enjoy the rest of the news in our coverage below.
Trivia time
We’re going to switch it up a little this morning. We’re going to get excited about Week 1 of college football with a game of our own.
Match the premier college football home team to its week one opponent. There are five games total.
Home Teams
Ohio State
Miami
Clemson
UCLA
Tennessee
Away Teams
Syracuse
Texas
Utah
LSU
Notre Dame
Answers at the bottom of the newsletter.
Kirby Smart’s No. 1 offensive concern
Your biggest concern about Georgia’s offense might be Gunner Stockton or fixing last season’s receiver struggles.
But if you’re Kirby Smart, it starts in the trenches.
Georgia’s head coach talked more about fixing the run game that any other issue this week in SEC Media Days.
“I think the first thing you have to measure, and I’m not in a defense mechanism here, because that’s not what today’s about,” Smart said. “We have to get better at running the ball, better (at) stopping the run.”
Smart lost four starters on the offensive line and a starting running back to the NFL last season.
It offers an opportunity for a hard reset, as Monroe Freeling, Drew Bobo, Micah Morris and others are expected to step into key roles on the offensive front.
“I like his physicality,” Smart said. “He’s got toughness. He’s got size. He’s a different type of runner than we have.”
SECMD highlights another Georgia transfer
One of the top questions that players face at SEC Media Days is how their side of the ball is coming together. That often includes questioning about transfers.
For UGA defenders CJ Allen and Daylen Everette, many of those questions were about Army transfer Elo Modozie. The linebacker is expected to start immediately, helping fill the hole that Missouri transfer Damon Wilson left at Georgia.
“I feel like he fits right in,” Everette said. “He didn’t really come in nervous or anything. I feel like we did a good job bringing him in as a brother. Just being around him every day is just fun.”
“I think Elo’s just a great person. He wants to get better,” Allen said. “He wants to learn the defense. He wants to win. I think him coming here to learn the defense is huge for him.”
Smart didn’t hold back on the Modozie hype either, calling out one of his top transfers by name on a television interview with SEC Network.
“People are going to know that name before the year is over, and I’m sure he’s going to get people to pronounce it the right way,” Smart said. “He’s a tremendous kid, he’s a hard worker, really good athlete, and we’re looking forward to watching him flourish in this system.”
(It’s pronounced Ell-O, by the way. Rhymes with Jell-O.)
Alabama trusting SEC contender hopes in QB play
Alabama has three quarterbacks to choose from, and one of them will likely be leaned on heavily if the Crimson Tide are to compete for an SEC title this season.
Former 5-star Ty Simpson is the projected started halfway through July. Behind Simpson are two more towering passers in Austin Mack and Keelon Russell.
Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer broke down all three at SEC Media Days, essentially stating the trio’s individual cases to become the starter.
Much like last season with Jalen Milroe, Alabama’s offense figures to live and die by quarterback play. ESPN’s Rece Davis said as much on a recent podcast.
“If they get good quarterback play, and I don’t mean adequate — good — whether it’s Ty Simpson, Austin Mack or Keelon Russell, they might win the national championship,” Davis said. “If they don’t, it’s probably a season like last year, three or four losses.”
DeBoer did rehire the same offensive coordinator that coached former Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. when the Huskies made the national championship two years ago. Ryan Grubb is back with DeBoer after a season in the same role with the Seattle Seahawks.
“Him getting the chance to come here and just add to our staff at the level you’re talking about with an elite, elite offensive mind,” DeBoer said. “Our familiarity with each other, the efficiency we have when it comes to the day-to-day work off season, in season, it certainly helps us gain even more momentum going into this fall.”
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Photo of the Day
Linebacker Elo Modozie (left) is expected to start immediately, helping fill the hole that Missouri transfer Damon Wilson left at Georgia.
Credit: AP
Quote of the Day
SEC Network analyst Jordan Rodgers on if Georgia is still atop the SEC:
“I absolutely think so. I think everybody’s talking about, ‘Can they compete with Texas?’ and I think they’re ahead of Texas. Look at what Texas lost, and oh, by the way, you just talked about one of those victories in the SEC Championship. Who was the quarterback that led them to that? Gunner Stockton, the quarterback that’s starting this year, so I like where Georgia’s at.
“I think they’re going to be markedly better in certain areas: running the football, tackling defensively against the run and the schedule lays out really nice. They only have three true road games.”
A can’t-miss interview from SEC Media Days
This one ain’t about Georgia, but it doesn’t have to be. We love college football for the drama and the personalities, and Lane Kiffin’s Monday appearance on “The Paul Finebaum Show”certainly made the cut.
From Kiffin blaming Finebaum for his firing at Tennessee to the pair comparing their relationship to the ’70s sitcom “The Odd Couple,” it’s like nine minutes of “The Office” meeting the SEC. We suggest a quick search and a watch.
